Keith and Gill Recall Oklahoma City Tragedy

Toby Keith, Vince Gill, Joe Diffie and Katrina Elam were among those who performed Friday (April 22) in Oklahoma City during a concert highlighting a weeklong commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. Visiting the memorial area in downtown Oklahoma City caused Gill to recall the community support that followed the tragedy. Gill told CMT News, “You just saw people who were courageous and were willing to roll up their sleeves and be humanitarians and help their fellow man. … You saw firsthand what the people were like here. There was something that was a great tragedy, and [yet] you saw people say, ‘Well, OK, let’s roll up our sleeves and take care of each other.’ And they did.” Referring to the memorial area, Keith told CMT News, “You have to just look at that as the celebration of the lives of the people that died there. … If you start thinking about all the evil that slammed down that day, it just makes you relive it all again.”